Scramble to Get Your Yavin Battle Pack!

I can't tell you how excited I was to get the Star Wars "Scramble on Yavin" Battle Pack. From the moment I saw the first promotional picture, I knew it was going to be one of my all-time favorites.

Most of the credit goes to R5-K6, the astromech droid who flies and is destroyed with Red Leader during the attack on Death Star I in the Battle of Yavin. Until the Battle Pack was announced, I knew nothing of R5-K6. I don't remember ever seeing him in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, mostly because I was always concentrating on Red Leader's face and dialogue, not trying to see what his astromech droid looked like.

Anyway, R5-K6 is attractively painted in red, white, black and gray, with such unique and extraordinary detail, that he easily bests any other R5 unit I've seen (even Jabba the Hutt's R5-X2 in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, which has a similar red, white and gray deco, but nowhere near as much detailing).

Of course, where there's R5-K6, there's Red Leader himself, Garven ("Almost there!") Dreis. Although his body is the same one that's been used for many other X-Wing pilot figures, he has an all-new head and a cool-looking helmet. It's great to finally have him as an action figure.

Finally, the pack comes with one member of the Rebel Ground Crew, plus the Transport vehicle he drives around the Yavin hangar deck. Although he's painted almost entirely gray, with a white helmet, brown belt and dark brown boots, he's still inexplicably appealing in his relative … plainness. He's an all-new figure, which is certainly a point in his favor.

Maybe it has to do with the Transport vehicle he drives. I'm not a collector of Star Wars vehicles, but this thing is just … an extraordinary, "bonus" type of pack-in. Hasbro could've "cheaped out" and attached the Rebel Ground Crew member to a cardboard cutout of a Transport vehicle, but it didn't. This thing is practically a figure unto itself, and is also an all-new Hasbro creation. It's mostly tan, but has some nice yellow, red and dark brown highlights. It's a really cute vehicle with which kids will probably have a lot of fun.

Me? Mr. Collector? I'm content to just admire it, R5, Dreis and the Rebel Ground Crew member inside the box.

It's a Rock-It An(droid)

The Rocket Battle Droid (No. 25) is one of four new action figures in Hasbro's latest Star Wars: The Clone Wars wave. It's also the first one I found (thanks, Target).

I'm not big on Battle Droids, regular or super-size. IMHO, as mechanical warriors go, they can never hope to compete with the great Cylon Centurions from Battlestar Galactica. They're nowhere near as "attractive." I mean, if I'm going to be overtaken by an array of robots, I'd rather it be the Cylons. I'm just ... mesmerized by their roving red eyes. Plus, they're scarier-looking. Battle Droids are stupid, spindly "softies" when it comes to intimidation.

Nevertheless, I've purchased one of every Battle Droid that Hasbro has made over the years. Hey, when you're a collector of "numbered" items, you gotta have the whole set!

But I like this Rocket Battle Droid. It's not the same boring, tan figure I've bought over and over again. It's mostly painted a reddish-orange, with dark gray highlights that make it look almost "camouflaged." It comes with the requisite "rocket pack," of course, plus a menacingly macrosize "boarding claw." It also has a blaster. My favorite feature, though, is its "cute" little gray helmet with light scope.

So, despite my admitted prejudice against Battle Droids, if I'm asked whether this is a must-own figure, my immediate response would be "roger, roger."

Don't tell me you didn't see that coming.

Talk Droid and Toad Boy

I found the "Jabba's Palace" Battle Pack at Walmart today. This was my first-ever purchase of a Jabba the Hutt, and I've gotta say I think the likeness is remarkable. Even though the context is the Star Wars: The Clone Wars movie, I'd swear I'm looking at a miniaturized version of the puppet from Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, right down to the "lazy" right eye.

Of course, I love TC-70 because of her unusual coloring. But could somebody please tell me why Bib Fortuna was nowhere to be seen in the movie?

Oh, and the name of the Battle Pack is all wrong. First, it has nothing to do with any "battle," and second, given the contents, it would have been better called Jabba's "Dais."

To Force or Not to Force — Perforce?

May 2009 will be — can you believe it? — the 10th anniversary of the first of three Star Wars prequel movies, The Phantom Menace. Yeah, the Force was back in force during the summer of 1999, but it wasn't with many of the "old timer" fans, who must have forgotten how cool it felt to have a Star Wars movie back in theaters. Those poor piles of Bantha poodoo.

Anyway, here's something I wrote that summer:

"After five viewings of “Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace,” I am left with an unsettling feeling.

"We all remember how, in “Episode IV — A New Hope,” Obi-Wan Kenobi used the Force’s power of suggestion against the “weak minded” stormtrooper. This was a life-or-death situation, as I see it, in terms of the Rebellion’s struggle against the Empire, and Obi-Wan was entirely justified in his manipulation.

"[But] was Qui-Gon Jinn justified in using the Force against Boss Nass and Watto, or was he manipulating them for his own, selfish gain?

"Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan were, for all intents and purposes, trespassers in Otoh Gunga, given that their escort, Jar Jar Binks, was an outcast, and that Gungans generally do not like outsiders. Understanding, of course, that the Jedi’s visit was part and parcel of a bigger picture that would eventually engulf the Gungans, did this give Qui-Gon the authority to manipulate Boss Nass into giving him the bongo and releasing Jar Jar into the Jedi’s custody? Isn’t this a little like taking advantage of Boss Nass? He can hardly be considered “weak minded” — [his] archaic dialect aside — given the Gungans’ advanced technology, underwater city and autonomous society.

"And what about Watto? After the podrace, the Toydarian accused Qui-Gon of having swindled him. How true is this? In the case of Qui-Gon’s manipulation of the chance cube, I think Watto was cheated; as far as the hyperdrive parts were concerned, Qui-Gon certainly tried to trick Watto into taking worthless Republic credits.

"Is this kind of behavior justified for a Jedi? Do the ends justify the means? Who gets to decide who is “weak minded” and who is not? Did the bigger picture really give Qui-Gon a wide latitude in dealing with any aberrant situation that arose? Did Supreme Chancellor Valorum — himself acting without the Senate’s knowledge — grant his ambassadors extraordinary authority in settling the Naboo problem, or [were] these more examples of Qui-Gon’s well-documented defiance of the Jedi Council and Code?"

The Trouble With Talz

Friday night's episode of The Clone Wars, "Trespass," took place on the frozen planet Orto Plutonia, where Anakin and Obi-Wan met the furry, primitive, non-space-faring Talz.

Most fans will remember the most-prominent member of this four-eyed, cigarette-butt-mouth species — Muftak — from A New Hope, where he can be glimpsed in the Mos Eisley cantina on Tatooine. His appearance on another planet, 20 years after the Clone Wars, poses no apparent problems with continuity. A lot can happen in 20 years, especially after a primitive species is discovered by an advanced civilization like the Galactic Republic. (In fact, Muftak was born on Tatooine.)

The continuity problem involves the Talz pictured above, Foul Moudama, who was a Jedi Master at the end of the Clone Wars. (He appeared in the final chapter of the original animated series, Star Wars: Clone Wars, in 2005.) Being a Jedi Master means that Moudama must have been part of the Jedi Order for many years — most likely since infancy (that is, most Force-sensitive individuals are identified by the Jedi as infants and removed from their families to be trained on Coruscant). Therein lies the problem: If the Talz were discovered during the Clone Wars, then how could Moudama have been trained, matured and reached the rank of Jedi Master in only three years — the approximate duration of the Clone Wars?

Ah, but the Star Wars tapestry of history and continuity is a wild and winding weave indeed. Apparently, the Talz also exist on the planet Alzoc III, which is more likely to be Moudama's home world than Orto Plutonia.

Should it seem strange that Obi-Wan, himself a Jedi Master, didn't know about the Talz of Alzoc III? Maybe not. The Jedi Order must comprise hundreds (if not thousands) of species, and Foul Moudama may have been the only Talz who was a Jedi during the Clone Wars.

However, still unanswered is the riddle of how the same species can exist on two different planets in two different star systems. In Star Trek, we might chalk it up to the convenient cure-all called "Hodgkin's Law of Parallel Planet Development." I don't know whether any such panacea exists in the Star Wars universe, so I suppose there must be an alternative possibility — for example, some Talz were removed from Orto Plutonia and relocated to Alzoc III.

But who did it? Why? And how long ago?

Faux Faux Binks - Ahmed Is Still Best

I enjoy Cartoon Network's animated series, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, mostly because it continues/fills in the saga between Episode II and Episode III. It's an indulgence, to be sure, but the shows don't move me anywhere near as much as the live-action movies did. Nevertheless, I'm glad they're on every week.

However, last Friday's episode, titled "The Gungan General," was particularly odious because of the substitute (and, hopefully, one-time-only) vocal artist who performed "Jar Jar Binks." He surely wasn't Ahmed Best, the former Stomp artist who performed and voiced Jar Jar in the three prequel movies.

The stand-in vocalist, whoever it was, butchered the lines and didn't sound even close to Jar Jar's unique "West Indies" accent. That vocalist must have been a last-minute fill-in, because Hollywood surely must be full of actors who could have affected a more-convincing accent.

What a bombad disappointment, okie-day?

Great Thoughts for the Archives of the Jedi Order

A few more Star Wars thoughts came to mind during the past several days:

I was channel surfing last weekend and happened upon my favorite of the "Prequel Trilogy" movies, Attack of the Clones, which was on FX. I love this film ... so much that it hurts to watch it because Hayden Christensen just kills me every time. I watched the on-air segment (another fave scene between Anakin and Padme on the refugee ship to Naboo) until the commerical and then ... made myself switch the channel. Why? Because I own the DVD, of course. Why should I watch the movie on TV?

Do you do this, too? I have a very strict rule when channel-surfing: If I come across a movie or TV show that I own on DVD, then I have to change the station. If Spider-Man 2 is on TV, I switch the channel. Mrs. Doubtfire? Change it. Lord of the Rings? Star Trek? James Bond? The Matrix? Harry Potter? All strictly forbidden on TV. Quite simply, it would be a waste of my TV time ... which explains why I haven't purchased any Seinfeld DVDs (yet?).

Here's something I've never seen addressed in print or interviews: Have you noticed the correct spelling of "Padme"? There's an accent mark over the "e," which means the name should be pronounced "pad-MAY." But it isn't, is it? No ... everyone always says "PAD-may." So what's with the accent? Hello, LucasFilm? I've been a professional editor for 14 years. I can help you with these things.

This past Tuesday, I began reading the Star Wars: The Clone Wars novelization by Karen Traviss, and it reminded me of a couple things that bother me about the animated TV series on Cartoon Network:

First, why do Anakin and Obi-Wan wear armor instead of Jedi robes? Did they wear armor during the Battle of Geonosis in Attack of the Clones? No. During the first animated TV series? No (well, Obi-Wan did once, but that's it). In Revenge of the Sith? No. So what's with the Jedi armor?

Well, as with most things in this world, it's part of a revenue scheme whereby Hasbro creates "robeless" versions of the characters as action figures so that parents don't feel like they're buying the same toys for their kids over and over again. "No, Mom, this Anakin has a different suit than in the movies with the people!" So, yeah, this makes perfect business sense, but it still rankles me for its "inconsistency."

Speaking of feeling rankled, what's with Anakin being addressed by the rank of "general" when he's only a Jedi Knight? You see, Star Wars has this long-standing reputation of being "careless" when it comes to handing out military ranks to its characters. Ideally, only Jedi Masters would be generals and Jedi Knights would be ... commanders, similar to how inductees into the Order of the British Empire are given the title "knight/dame commander." So, in my own little "Star Wars world," where all ranks are distinctive, it would be "Master/General Kenobi," "Knight/Commander Skywalker" and "Padawan Ahsoka Tano." Someone tell George Lucas, please. I'll send him my card.

When You Wish Upon a Star (Wars)

One of my favorite Web sites, http://www.rebelscum.com/, is conducting its annual "Wish List" polls, in which fans can submit the names of Star Wars characters they'd like Hasbro to make into action figures. I compiled and posted my wish lists over the weekend, and I couldn't have done it without the following super-terrific reference volumes:

• "Star Wars: The Complete Visual Dictionary" compiled by David West Reynolds, James Luceno and Ryder Windham, from DK Publishing


• "Star Wars: The Clone Wars — The Visual Guide" by Jason Fry, from DK Publishing


• "The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia" by Stephen J. Sansweet & Pablo Hidalgo and Bob Vitas & Daniel Wallace, from Del Ray


• "Star Wars Chronicles" by Deborah Fine and Aeon, Inc., from Chronicle Books


• "Star Wars Chronicles: The Prequels" by Stephen J. Sansweet and Pablo Hidalgo, from Chronicle Books

If you're more than just a "casual" Star Wars fan, but don't own any/all of these outstanding books, then get thee hastily to http://www.amazon.com/ or http://www.ebay.com/ and get back on the Max Rebo bandwagon!

BTW, here are my wish lists. I'm sure you'll understand quickly why I needed those reference volumes. Do you know who some of these characters are?

Original Trilogy:
A New Hope
Arleil Schous
Captain Khurgee
Commander Daine Jir
Commander Vanden Willard
Lieutenant Shann Childsen
Muftak
Solomahal
Teak Sidbam
Tzizvvt

Return of the Jedi
Sim Aloo

Prequel Trilogy:
The Phantom Menace
Ben Quadinaros
Bib Fortuna
Daultay Dofine
Queen Amidala (Foreign Residence Gown)
Queen Amidala (Purple Traveling Gown)
Sei Taria
Senator Edcel Bar Gane
Senator Horox Ryyder
Senator Mot Not Rab
Senator Tendau Bendon

Attack of the Clones
Cliegg Lars
Coleman Kcaj
Dar Wac
Denaria Kee (Passel Argente's Aide)
Jocasta Nu
Nod Seib (Outlander Club)
Padme Amidala (Lars Morning Gown/Anakin's Return)
Padme Amidala (Outland Peasant Refugee)
Senator Padme Amidala (Loyalist Committee Gown & 1st Apartment Gown)
Senator Padme Amidala (Retreat From Coruscant Gown)

Revenge of the Sith
Captain Dannl Faytonni
Duke Teta
Senator Fang Zar
Senator Giddean Danu
Senator Gume Saam
Senator Male-Dee
Senator Sweitt Concorkill
Senator Tundra Dowmeia (Quarren)
Senator Veedaaz Awmetth
Shi'ido (Po Nudo's Aide)

The Clone Wars:
4A-7 (Spy Droid)
Cad Bane (Duros Bounty Hunter)
Commander Wolffe
Darth Sidious
Gha Nachkt (Trandoshan)
King Katuunko (Toydarian)
Nahdar Vebb (Mon Calamari Jedi Knight)
Senator Onaconda Farr
TC-70 (Jabba's Talk Droid)
Wat Tambor

Greatest Hits:
Depa Billaba (Jedi High Council Screen Scene)
Felucian Rider (Battle Rancor With Felucian Rider and Saddle)
Fi-Ek Sirch (Jedi Warriors Multipack)
Graxol Kelvyyn (Watto's Box)
Incinerator Stormtrooper (The Force Unleashed)
Oppo Rancisis (Jedi High Council Screen Scene)
Passel Argente (Geonosian War Room Screen Scene)
San Hill (Geonosian War Room Screen Scene)
Shakka (Watto's Box)
Shu Mai (Geonosian War Room Screen Scene)